


This Red Love

by Hanaasbananas



Series: Hanaa's Bollywood Playlist [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged Up, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Breakup, F/M, Identity Reveal, Mutual Pining, enemies au, inspired by bollywood (when am i not lmao), lovers to enemies to lovers again oop-, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25995973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanaasbananas/pseuds/Hanaasbananas
Summary: In another world, he loves her. Would lay down his life for her without a second thought. Would be devoted only to her. In another world, they are partners, fighting side by side to keep Paris safe from Hawkmoth. Ladybug and Chat Noir, heroes of Paris.Inthisworld, Ladybug is his enemy; the only thing standing in the way of what he most desires. In this world, he is not a hero.Or the one where Adrien and Marinette are dating, but Chat Noir works for Hawkmoth. Angst ensues.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Hanaa's Bollywood Playlist [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1818835
Comments: 22
Kudos: 217





	1. I have had such an enmity with you (that I wasn’t myself anymore)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnxiousCupcake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiousCupcake/gifts).



> Another installment in the 'Hanaa really should be working on the sequel to Phantoms in the Dark!' but I am not doing that. (No seriously I need to work on that sequel ASAP because I will have people out for my BLOOD when Phantoms finishes)
> 
> Anyway, the next one will be fluffy, I promise. But this fic is entirely AnxiousCupcake's fault because after I wrote Exposed, she gave me the idea to write something based off of [Laal Ishq](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEH3Aev0uME)  
> Song is from Ram Leela (a bollywood adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Highly recommend you watch it, if only for the amazing chemistry between Deepika & Ranveer and the absolutely GORGEOUS cinematography).ALSO! GIRL I WATCHED THE MOVIE AGAIN AND I'VE SEEN IT SO MANY TIMES HOW DID I NOT REALISE RAM CUT HIS RING FINGER AFTER HEARING HOW BA CHOPPED LEELAS I-THEY NEVER MENTION IT AT ALL THAT KILLED ME. IT COMPLETELY ENDED ME
> 
> Ahem
> 
> Chapter titles are from the song.
> 
> This was supposed to be a oneshot but it works better as a two parter so here we are. Next chapter will be up tomorrow.

_This red love,  
this sorrowful love,  
_ _this flawed love,  
_ _this enmity of love._

Adrien comes to with a groan, his ears ringing from the explosion. Sitting up, he wipes his face, shaking his head and dislodging the dust that’s settled in his hair. The ground still shakes beneath him, the akuma’s every step sending shockwaves through the earth and in the distance he can hear people screaming, running from the monster.

He should have expected this. Father had been in a terrible mood this morning; it made sense that the day’s akuma would be a particularly destructive one. More so than usual, at least. 

“-nette! Marinette!” his head snaps up at Alya’s desperate cry and panic grips his heart at the sight in front of him. He remembers now. The akuma had come out of nowhere, unleashing a blast that rocked the buildings around them and sent Marinette flying across the street where she hit a storefront with a sickening _thud_. He’d only taken one step forward when the second blast had hit, knocking him out for god knows how long. 

Across the street, Alya has propped Marinette against a wall and is frantically trying to make her wake up. Jogging across the street to join them, Adrien pushes Alya’s hands aside, sitting against the wall and settling Marinette’s head in his lap.

“ _Adrien!”_ Alya exclaims, her eyes wide and filled with tears. “Oh my god, Adrien I didn’t know what to do I’m sorry I just left you there but she hit the wall _so hard_ and oh god I had to check and it’s been ten minutes and she hasn’t woken up yet I—” 

“Alya it’s fine,” he interrupts her tersely, mind racing. _Ten minutes?_ Where the _hell_ is Ladybug? Adrien scans the sky for the telltale blur of red, listening for the zip of her yo-yo as she swings across the city but there’s no sign of her. 

Blood trickles sluggishly from Marinette’s temple and he wipes it away, just as her eyes flicker open and she tries to sit up, frowning when he stops her. "No, don't try to move," he tells her, almost crying in relief to see her awake. "We just need to wait for Ladybug to purify the akuma and you'll be fine, okay?” Adrien presses a kiss to her forehead, pressing her head to his chest. “You’ll be fine.” 

She doesn’t look assured. If anything, she looks more distressed. Watching him carefully, she seems to be considering something for a long moment. And then, she reaches for her earrings, and Adrien’s blood runs cold. 

No. 

_No_ it can’t be. 

But there they are, glinting dully in her palm as she holds them out to him. Plain black studs. Studs he’s suddenly realising he’s never seen her without. 

He could take them. Right now, he could grab them from her and take them back to father, finish what they started all those years ago. But he won’t. Not when Marinette needs him, when she can’t fight back. 

“...Alya” he croaks before his resolve weakens, mouth dry. “Alya you need to take these.”

Alya is looking back and forth from the earrings in Marinette’s hand to Marinette herself, and Adrien can see that she desperately wants to bombard Marinette with questions for the ladyblog, to talk about everything, but before she can say anything, another explosion rocks the ground beneath them and her mouth settles into a thin line, her shoulders setting in determination. Grabbing the earrings from Marinette, she nods at the two of them and puts them on, running off to fight. 

They watch her go, until she’s out of sight, and then Marinette sags against him with a sigh and he pulls her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulder even as his heart beats rapidly in his chest, mind reeling at the new information. 

Marinette is Ladybug. _Marinette_ is _Ladybug_ . He wants to laugh at the irony. Because Adrien _hates_ Ladybug. Has hated her for so long it’s practically ingrained in him by now. 

In another world, he loves her. Would lay down his life for her without a second thought. Would be devoted only to her. In another world, they are partners, fighting side by side to keep Paris safe from Hawkmoth. Ladybug and Chat Noir, heroes of Paris.

In _this_ world, Ladybug is his enemy; the only thing standing in the way of what he most desires. In this world, he is not a hero.

He squashes down the hysterical laugh that bubbles up in his throat, tightening his arm around Marinette. What a twist of fate.The girl he loves turning out to be the one he hates. 

It is Marinette he has thrown in battle. Has punched, attacked, _tried to cataclysm_ on more than one occasion. 

What would he have done if he’d succeeded, if he’d defeated Ladybug and then Marinette disappeared the very next day? Would he have connected the dots? Would he have recognised her? Or would he be too busy riding the high of victory? 

He’s still processing when the miraculous cure sets everything right, when Alya returns, giving Marinette—sitting against him, all traces of injury gone—the earrings back and he can’t help but stare. 

(So close. So close he could touch them, take them, steal them, win the battle—) 

Adrien’s hands twitch at his side, but instead, he helps Marinette stand, insisting on taking her home even though he _knows_ she’s perfectly alright now. She’s silent as they walk, but doesn’t protest when he laces his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand tight. 

Once they’re up in her room, Marinette makes sure the trapdoor is firmly shut behind them before whirling to face him, expression steely. He thinks he knows what to expect. He thinks she will swear him to secrecy, impress upon him the importance of keeping her identity to himself. But today is a day for surprises, because instead, she pierces him with her blue eyed gaze and says: 

“I know who you are.” 

* * *

_Five words. That’s all it takes. Five words, for fate to take a different course._

_“I’m going to save her.”_

_Adrien stares down at his mother, lying motionless in front of him. His legs buckle underneath him and he grabs hold of the sides of the glass coffin to stay upright, drinking in his mother's appearance. She looks exactly the same as the last time he saw her, over a year ago now; he half expects her to open her eyes any minute as though she’s just having a nap but mother remains still, not even a_ flicker _of movement underneath her eyelids._

_Through the roaring in his ears, Adrien only partially hears father’s explanation, but he looks up at the mention of earrings...and a ring that could bring mother back._

_Could it be? Shoving his hand into his pocket, Adrien's fingers curl around the ring he’d hidden when father had called him. He remembers Plagg’s warning that nobody could know about him, but surely he would understand, right? This was his_ mother _! He couldn’t just leave her, not when he had the means to bring her_ back, _to make his family whole, and happy again!_

_Decision made, Adrien pulls out the ring, presenting it to father. “Is this what you need?”_

* * *

Marinette hadn’t wanted to believe it. Had refused to believe it, in fact; and it had been easy to dismiss the signs as coincidence when they were just friends, when she didn’t know Adrien as well as she thought she did. 

He’s standing in front of her, mouth opening and closing but no words come out. She wants him to laugh in bewilderment, to ask her what she means, to have no idea what she’s talking about but instead he just looks resigned and she feels her throat tighten.

Because Marinette has spent _years_ fighting the owner of the black cat miraculous—the mysterious black clad boy who called himself Ravageur Noir, who never spoke, who was supposed to be her partner but only snarled and tried to steal her miraculous whenever she tried to reason with him. 

Adrien closes his eyes, sighing. “How?” 

“Does it matter?” she speaks around the lump in her throat. So many signs! So much she’d ignored—his irritation whenever Alya talked about Ladybug and the blog; the way he always disappeared just before an akuma attack, as though he knew it was coming—she’d ignored them all, refusing to even entertain the idea for more than a few minutes at a time, because…

Because it was _Adrien!_ The boy she loved, who looked at her like she’d hung the moon in the sky, who built pillow forts with her in his bedroom just so they could watch a movie together; who would sneak up behind her to hug her and spin her around until she was dizzy and breathless with laughter, who kissed her so reverently, so softly, that she felt like she was made of glass. 

How could he be the same boy who fought her on an almost daily basis, who threw her across the city without remorse, looked at her with blazing hatred in his green eyes?

How could they be the same? It was impossible. 

And then suddenly, it wasn’t. 

(Identical scratches in identical places on two different faces that are now the same, and her legs buckling underneath her, the air knocked out of her lungs and a night spent crying and crying and crying—)

“No, I guess it doesn’t.” Adrien scrubs a hand down his face, “so where does that leave us?”

“Would you stop it?” she asks. “Stop the fighting? _Could_ you?” 

His silence is all the answer she needs. Swallowing hard, Marinette looks away, her eyes burning with unshed tears. Forcing her voice to remain steady, she speaks. “I think you should go, Adrien.” 

She ignores him as he steps forward, keeping her gaze lowered, focusing instead on the orange of his converses.

“Mari, I—” he swallows. Reaches up to cup her face, his thumb brushing her cheek and she can’t help it. She flinches away from him, from his touch. Clapping a hand over her mouth, Marinette’s head whips up in shock, meeting Adrien’s hurt eyes as he inhales sharply, stepping back. She’s never done that before. 

But isn’t that how it would be from now on?

Even if she _wanted_ to continue their relationship— and _God_ , she wants to. So, so desperately, she wants to wrap herself in his embrace—how could she ever trust him? How could she ever be comfortable around him knowing who he is, knowing what he _wants_ , that she would be putting her miraculous in so much danger, constantly fearing that he would take them from her under the guise of stroking her cheek, kissing her lips, pulling her into his arms?

She can’t. 

Spinning around, Marinette clutches the back of her computer chair until her knuckles turn white. “ _Go._ It’s _over.”_

Adrien hesitates for a moment, but then she hears him sniff, hears his footsteps receding until she is alone again. It isn’t until she hears the front door slam shut behind him, that Marinette sinks to the floor with a gasp, finally allowing her tears to fall. Ignoring Tikki’s concerned hovering around her shoulder, she buries her face in her hands, and weeps. 

* * *

_Their first meeting goes like this:_

_Marinette’s up on a roof, scanning the latest akuma for weakness when she hears him land with a_ thump _behind her and turns to see him. He is masked like her, dressed all in black with cat ears nestled in his blonde hair, and she almost cries in relief._ Finally _, the partner Tikki had said she was supposed to have is here “oh thank god—”_

_Except then he’s launching himself at her, his hand bubbling with the destructive magic and his eyes full of anger and she barely manages to get away, his fingers brushing the ribbon in her hair, turning it to dust._

_The message is clear. He is not her friend._

* * *

Adrien lasts a week. One week, seven days, one hundred and sixty eight hours. 

By Monday, the entire school is buzzing with news of the breakup. It’s all anyone is talking about and as the day progresses, he watches Marinette’s shoulders hunch more and more, watches her retreat into herself, sitting in the back of the class and taking Alya with her. 

Her best friend doesn’t seem to understand _why_ they’ve broken up, but she glares at Adrien nonetheless. He catches Marinette’s eye briefly and she shakes her head slightly, answering his unspoken question. Alya doesn’t know. That’s something, at least. 

He wonders what she told Alya about the breakup. Wonders if she spent the weekend staring at his phone like he did, waiting for a call that never came. That will never come again. 

With a groan, Adrien lets his head hit the desk with a _thunk_. Beside him, Nino pats his shoulder sympathetically. “You wanna talk about it?”

“No.”

It’s not like he can say: _oh yeah man, I found out my girlfriend is Ladybug, the person I’ve been fighting for four years and happen to hate with every fibre of my being and she knows who_ I _am, so the only thing we_ could _do was breakup because I’m not gonna stop trying to get her miraculous and_ she _won’t give them to me._

Instead, he just groans again. That’s really all he feels like doing anyway. 

It doesn’t get easier as the week pases. If anything, the gossip only gets worse, whispers following him whenever he walks through the halls, but at least they’re being respectful enough to at least _pretend_ they aren’t talking about him. He doubts they’ve shown Marinette the same courtesy. The girls in their class have rallied around her, and for that he’s glad, but he misses her company. 

Misses her showing him her designs and suggesting ideas for her, letting her steal fries off his plate during lunch. Misses the warm weight of her against his shoulder as they study, the feeling of contentment that settled deep in his chest at her every touch. The way she’d brush his hair out of his face, covering his eyes with her palm and pressing a soft kiss to his jaw before presenting her own cheek for his lips. 

He misses _her_. 

And so, on the Friday, exactly seven days after their breakup, he pulls her aside into a small alcove at school. 

“Adrien, wha—” he cuts her off, kissing her deeply, exhaling shakily when Marinette hesitates for only a second before reciprocating, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. 

He doesn’t know how long they stay there,in the dark, but eventually she pulls away, her arms tightening briefly before she looks up at him. She doesn’t let him cup her face, so instead he settles for running his hand over her shoulder, down her arm, grasping her fingers with his. 

“I missed you” he whispers, “so much. I—” his voice falters, so he looks down at their entwined hands, bringing them up to his mouth to press a kiss to her fingers. 

“Nothing’s changed, Adrien.” Marinette’s words are matter of fact, delivered tonelessly, and he screws his eyes shut, letting go of her and running a hand through his hair in agitation. “You know why it’s the only choice. For both our sakes.”

“I _know_ that!” he exclaims “you think I don’t? I just...I just wish—”

“You wish what?” Marinette’s voice is sharp “you wish that someone else was Ladybug, right? So you wouldn’t have to put a name to her, or even care." She laughs bitterly, shaking her head. "You’re _such_ a hypocrite.”

He doesn’t say anything, shame pooling in his gut. Because of course, he _hadn’t_ cared what he did to Ladybug. Not as long as he got the miraculous. He’d never spared a thought for her—if she was alright after the battle, what her life was like— unless it was to curse her out for succeeding yet again. He is a hypocrite. If it wasn’t Marinette behind the mask, he _still_ wouldn’t care. 

Marinette sighs. “We can’t do this, Adrien.” Rising up on her tiptoes, she presses a chaste kiss to his lips before stepping out of his embrace and he notices her eyes glistening with tears. “This won’t happen again.” 


	2. Should I change my name (or should I hide your name?)

_Should I catch hold of this dark night?_ _  
__Should I grab the cold moon?_ _  
__The difference between light in the day and in the night,_ _  
__Should I change it?_

_It was never supposed to take this long._

_She’d been so laughably bad during that first akuma battle, he’d been absolutely certain the stupid little insect would be too overwhelmed and give up the jewelry._

_They’d expected victory in days, weeks, maybe even months. Not_ years _._

_It was never supposed to be years._

_And so his hatred grows, the anger burning in him, fuelling him, making him fight harder, faster with every day that passes without victory. Without his mother._

_Father couldn’t care less about his life outside of akuma battles and photo shoots so instead Adrien finds himself talking to mother. Visiting her in her chamber, sitting with her, telling her about his day, about what he is doing with father to bring her back, and soon it becomes tradition._

_He’ll go over failed akuma’s and in the same conversation tell her about the friends he’s made at school. She’d always fought for him to be allowed to go, and now she’s missing it. Missing everything. So instead, Adrien speaks, tells her everything, hoping that somehow, she can hear him._

_But as much as he complains to her about Ladybug, he gushes about another just as much._

_(Some things are the same in every world. Chewing gum stuck to a seat and righteous anger aimed at the wrong person; apologies in the rain and two hearts beating faster, cheeks flushing, somehow knowing this is the start of something beautiful.)_

_She’s the first person he tells about their date, the one he gushes to about their first kiss, about how amazing his girlfriend is; rages to her when photographers get a photo of them on a date and his fans bombard her on social media, prompting father to finally meet her, to dispense his approval upon his girlfriend. As if that matters._

_Adrien imagines mother clapping her hands, laughing in delight at every new milestone in his relationship before pinching his cheeks and telling him_ don’t grow up too fast now—you’re still my little boy!

_But that’s all he can do. Imagine. Because until they get Ladybugs miraculous, mother continues to lie there, still and unmoving. She’s missing so much. He cries as well, when he tells her about Marinette’s parents, about what a lovely family they are, about how much it made him want_ his _family back. How much he wants Marinette to be able to meet his mother._

_It makes him want to rage, fight, and destroy Ladybug because she is the only thing standing in the way of what he wants. Adrien hates Ladybug. Loathes her._ Despises _her._

_Because she just won’t_ give up. 

* * *

“Adrien” Marinette gasps, clutching at his shoulders. “Adrien we can’t keep doing this.” 

“You’re right.” Adrien hums in agreement, his mouth hot on her throat as he trails kisses down to her collarbone, before bringing his head back up to swallow her moan with his lips. “We should _definitely_ stop.”

They need to. Need to learn to keep their hands off each other, to stop meeting in secret like this. Marinette’s pretty sure Alya suspects they’re fooling around again, but she doesn’t pass judgement at least. She still thinks they’ll get back together after all. She’d only slightly bent the truth, telling her best friend that Adrien had thought her being Ladybug was too dangerous, that he’d wanted her to give it up, and they’d broken up over the issue. 

If only it were that simple.

But it’s hard to remember exactly _why_ they need to stay away from each other when Adrien does that thing she likes—with his tongue—that has her knees weakening, his arm around her waist the only thing keeping her upright. 

“God, Marinette,” Adrien murmurs against her lips, pulling back to gaze into her eyes. “You scared me today.”

And just like that, the spell is broken. 

“Yeah. Well,” she shrugs “it’s part of the job. It’s not like I have a partner.” 

Marinette regrets the words immediately when Adrien rears back as though she’s slapped him. “Adrien I didn’t mean—” 

“Yes you did,” he turns away from her, his shoulders tense as he yanks his shirt back on. “You know I can’t be that for you.”

_You want to_ . She almost says. _I saw it in your eyes today_ , _when that akuma cut through my shoulder._ It was the most excruciating pain she’d ever felt, and Marinette had been deeply glad that the red of her suit hid how much blood was pouring out of the wound. Adrien had almost screamed her name when it happened, his green eyes blown wide with terror even as he forced himself to keep his distance. He’d practically crashed through her skylight later that evening, gathering her in his arms and crushing her to his chest in relief. 

She doesn’t say any of this out loud though. Instead, she grabs his wrist when Adrien is halfway through her window, and says “stay.” 

Adrien looks conflicted, his eyes flickering from her hand on his wrist to her face until he eventually comes to a decision, sitting back down beside her. They don’t really talk for the rest of the evening, alternating between making out and cuddling as they watch a movie until Adrien nods off, his head in her lap.

She’s hardly surprised. The dark circles under his eyes have been getting more pronounced recently and he’d always slept better when they were together. Carding her fingers through his hair, Marinette sighs.

He is her enemy. She should hate him. Hate him for what he does, what he stands for. He’s supposed to be _her_ partner, not the enemies. They should be fighting _together_ , not each other. But looking at him, his face relaxed in slumber, nuzzling his head into her hand, all she sees is Adrien. 

Tikki will be disappointed, in the morning, that she didn’t put an end to things like she said she would, and Marinette will take the scolding quietly. But Adrien has always been her weakness, and right now, they are not their alter egos. 

Right now, he is Adrien. She is Marinette. In the morning light they will become Ladybug and Ravageur Noir, but for now, they are just a boy, and just a girl. 

* * *

_“Do you think you could ever hate me?” Marinette asks Adrien one day and he looks at her like she's grown another head._

_They were supposed to be studying in the park, and to their credit, there_ are _flashcards spread out all around them, but they’d only lasted fifteen minutes before Adrien decided he much preferred to lie with his head in her lap allowing her to gently run her fingers through his hair._

_At her words his eyes snap open and he sits up so fast she has to lean back a little but he immediately pulls her close again. “Of course not! How could I_ ever _hate the most perfect girl in all of Paris—no, France?”_

_In response, she just shrugs and laughs a little, not willing to give him a reason. How can she tell him her suspicions? That she thinks he might be her enemy? More and more lately, she’s been seeing signs that point to him, but she doesn’t want to believe it. Doesn’t want to believe that the boy who loves her, hates her enough to want to turn her to dust if it would serve his purpose._

_Instead, she allows him to cup her face in his hands and kiss her, slow and deep. “You are extraordinary, Marinette. There is not a single thing you could ever do that would make me hate you.”_

_Sinking into his embrace, Marinette ignores the worry in her stomach, and lets herself be reassured, grinning and pulling him forward by the collar to peck his lips. “Good answer.”_

* * *

Father may not pay attention to what Adrien does in his personal life, but he's not _entirely_ unobservant. 

Adrien supposes this was inevitable, after all of father’s questioning, the sudden interest in his love life and why he and Marinette had broken up. Asking why, he hasn’t been fighting up to his usual standard—hasn’t been for months now. He’s not wrong. He can hardly bring himself to strike a blow anymore, acutely aware of who he is fighting. Even if her miraculous cure fixes it all, he remembers every punch, every bruise he’s given her in battle, and it still amazes him when he sees no evidence on it, see’s that Marinette’s skin is unmarred. 

Of course father would notice. And there was only so long he would buy the excuse that the breakup was what affected him. Now, father is testing his theory. 

It’s Adrien’s fault.

If only he hadn’t dismissed that girl! But she’d practically glued herself to his arm, giggling shrilly in his ear and batting her eyelashes at him for the third time this week. He’d had to prise her fingers off him before joining his friends and admittedly, he could have been nicer about it, but apparently what set her off was seeing his fingers brush Marinette’s as he passed by her on the way to talk to Nino. 

And now, Marinette is being held over the Eiffel tower, dangled over the edge as the akuma demands that he—Adrien—be brought to her to save Marinette. 

“C’mon, c’mon, just _transform_ already!” he mutters from his place on a nearby roof. Marinette is motionless, keeping as still as she can in case the grip with which she’s being held loosens. The akuma is ranting and raving, gesticulating wildly with her free hand, hardly paying attention to her captive. “ _Transform, Marinette!”_ He urges her but she does nothing, stubborn to the last. 

In that moment, Adrien hates father. Hates him more than he’s ever hated anyone in his life. How can he put an innocent civilian in such danger? Knowing what she means to him? Even if it is to try and discover Ladybug’s identity? How does he justify it to himself, because mother surely would be horrified by what he’s doing. 

And Marinette! He wants to curse her, grab hold of her and _shake_ her for being so stupid. So stupidly noble, refusing to save herself just to make sure nothing happens to the miraculous. This time, there is no Alya to give the earrings to, to defeat the akuma. 

There is only Adrien. 

“I’ve waited long enough!” the akuma declares, waving a hand imperiously, and the crowd gathered around the tower screams as she drops Marinette. And then she is falling, falling, falling, and she’s _still not transforming_ , just allowing herself to fall and before Adrien realises what he’s doing, he’s catching her.

Later, news reports will talk about a black blur, snatching Marinette from the sky, whisking her away and saving the girl's life. But in the moment, Adrien doesn’t think of consequences, just leaps across the rooftops, holding her tight against him, his heart thudding rapidly in his chest. _She’s safe, she’s safe, she’s safe._

Setting her down on a roof far away, Adrien frantically looks her over for injuries, rubbing his hands up and down her arms to soothe her. Marinette is shaking like a leaf, her skin deathly pale, but she’s _alive_ , and that’s all that matters. Pulling her into his embrace, Adrien exhales shakily when Marinette clutches at him, burying her face into his shoulder as he rocks them back and forth. 

Eventually, Marinette disentangles herself from him, wiping the tears from her cheeks, she coughs a little before speaking. “The akuma…”

“No,” he shakes his head. “You are _not_ fighting today.” Before she can protest, Adrien continues “Hawkmoth was testing you, to see if you were Ladybug. If you show up now…”

“He’ll know it’s me” she finishes his sentence for him. Her shoulders slump. “What do we do?” 

This time, Adrien doesn’t protest her use of the word _we._ It’s taken him a long time—far too long—to realise: they are partners. And they always will be. 

Hesitantly, he cups her face with his hand, a thrill going through him when Marinette doesn’t immediately pull away. She hasn’t let his hands touch her face in so long, fearing that he will take her miraculous, but now...she’s looking at him with so much trust in her eyes, like she used to, before; and Adrien feels the piece of his heart that was displaced for all those months settle back into place, filling his chest with warmth. 

He knows what he has to do. 

* * *

That night, Adrien visits his mother for the last time. 

“I’m sorry, mother.” Adrien's voice echoes in the large room. In her chamber, mother slumbers on. Pressing a hand to the cool glass, he takes one last look at her, at her serene expression, unchanged for so many years while he has grown up beside her. “But it’s time to move on.” He won’t stop trying to wake her, but this time, Adrien will do it the right way.

Father won’t notice him leaving. He’s holed up in his office, probably poring over the footage from this afternoons akuma attack, trying to figure out who Ladybug’s _second_ substitute is; the boy in red who attacked his akuma with a vengeance Ladybug herself has never shown before. 

At least Marinette is off his list of suspects. Father had accepted Adrien’s anger with more patience than he expected—of course, he _had_ put his son's ex-girlfriend in mortal peril for what seemed like no reason at all. He could hardly blame his son for saving the girl from such a grisly fate, then, could he? 

And really, Adrien should be thanking him for giving him the wake up call he so desperately needed. 

Marinette is waiting for him on her balcony, cocooned in blankets a giant mug of hot chocolate clasped in her hands. He lands on her railing, letting his duffel bag land on her balcony with a _thud_ , and she turns to face him, her eyes glittering, a smile playing about her lips. 

“You know,” Adrien tilts his head to the side, stroking his chin in thought. “I think I need to rebrand. What do you think of the name Chat Noir?” 

_My name is love,_ _  
__Your name is love,_  
 _My name, your name,_ _  
My name is love_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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